The Mother Series
by Jessica R Vance
Summary: 17 years after Team Rocket disbands, James' daughter finds herself questioning her origins when she finds a mysterious picture...
1. True Mother's Love

True Mother's Love  
  
By: Jessica R Vance  
  
Rating: PG for mild swearing  
  
Summary: 17 years after Team Rocket disbands, James' daughter begins to question her origins when she finds a mysterious picture...  
  
Disclaimer: OK, I own Jackie, but that's about it.  
  
Author's Note: I didn't do Jessiebelle's accent on here; it would have been to hard to understand. ^_^  
  
**Prologue**  
  
"... you have the right to remain silent..."  
  
"...want my lawyer..."  
  
"...been tracking this guy..."  
  
"...Now, we understand that kids your age are very impressionable... most likely, you joined with the promise of money, excitement, possibly glamour. And after you were sucked in, you were probably held here with the fear of death if you left. That's why we're going to give you a second chance. But we don't expect to hear about you again."  
  
"So... where are you going?"  
  
"I think... I need to be by myself. I... can't support-"  
  
"I know. What will we do with-"  
  
"Go home. Take her with you. That way... at least she'll be provided for."  
  
**True Mother's Love**  
  
'Damn. Hopkins is so bad at not knowing who's socks are whose,' I thought as I went in to my father and Jessiebelle's bedroom. I never could bring myself to call Jessiebelle "Mom." It never felt right. Plus the fact that I couldn't *stand* her.   
  
I went to put my dad's socks in his drawer... and saw a corner of metal sticking out from under all the disorderly mess. Upon digging it out, I discovered a picture of a girl, maybe my age, with incredibly long red hair and deep blue eyes. She looked a lot like Jessiebelle... but then, it couldn't be. This girl had something *significantly* different about her...  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
My dad! He was coming! Not knowing what else to do, I slammed the drawer shut and jumped into my father's closet. Then I waited.  
  
"I mean she's *not* growing up to be a proper lady! Going out with those ruffian friends of hers every night, going who-knows-where and doing who-knows-what is *not* the way I want our daughter to be raised!" I sighed silently. Jessiebelle was the most *annoyingly* proper person in the world. In her mind, "proper" means not having any fun, just sitting around, having tea and crumpets all day (but being sure not to spill any on the perfect Persian rug, mind you).  
  
My father sighed aloud. "Come on, Belle. Let Jackie have some fun! You're-"  
  
"Her *name* is Jacqueline, and I'll not have you call her otherwise!" Jessiebelle cut in sharply. "I did *not* raise a hooligan daughter, and with a name like *Jackie*, that's exactly what she'd be!"  
  
"Not necessarily. Belle, she's only gonna be young once! We might as well-"  
  
"You are to say "going to be," not "gonna be" and I don't care *how* many times she's going to be young, that doesn't give her permission to be roaming around at all hours with the kind of people she associates with!"  
  
"I see nothing wrong with her friends," my father said. I could tell by his tone of voice that he was trying hard to keep his temper down. He always got like that when Jessiebelle put down my two best friends, Tina and Mark. I knew he *adored* them, because Mark reminded him of himself at my age, and Tina was funny as hell, a quality that my father appreciated in anyone.  
  
"I see everything wrong with her friends! They're street trash, James! And you know it!" Jessiebelle turned on her heel and walked out the door, adding as she vanished, "I want you to find your daughter and tell her she's not to go out again without us knowing! And if she does, she's grounded for life!"  
  
I waited for my father to leave. Instead, I simply heard him breathing. Then, suddenly, he said, "You can come out now, Jackie."  
  
I stepped out, glaring at him. "How'd you know I was in here?"  
  
"Father's intuition," he replied, patting the bed next to him. I sat down. "I'm assuming you heard all of that little conversation?"  
  
"I didn't materialize in the closet in the middle of it," I said. When I got a glare for being sarcastic, I said, "Yes sir. I heard it. Why does Jessiebelle insist on putting my friends and me down?"  
  
"Why don't you call her mother?"  
  
"She's never *been* a mother. She's been a parent, but never a mother."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean... mothers *talk* to their daughters. Mothers do their daughters' hair, and tell them what scum guys are after a break up, mothers talk to their daughters about sex..." This got me a look. "Dad! *Tina* had to explain sex to me when I was *15* because you and Jessiebelle never did! The only time Jessiebelle talks to me is when she tells me I'm not sitting up straight or that I'm grounded for practically being a teenager!"  
  
"I know..." my father sighed. Then he said, "Why were you in here, anyway?"  
  
"Hopkins Jr. gave me a pair of your socks while he was putting laundry up... I was putting them in your drawer." When he looked worriedly at the drawer, I said, "And in case you're wondering, yes, I did see the picture." Dad breathed out and looked at me.  
  
"And?"  
  
"Who is she, Dad?"  
  
"You mean you don't think it's your mother?"  
  
"I don't think it's Jessiebelle, if that's what you mean."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Dad, it's obvious! There's no *way* those two could be the same! I mean," I got up and took the picture out of the drawer, "*look* at her! Jessiebelle would *never* wear that outfit," I said, indicating the jeans and shirt the girl in the picture wore, "And she'd never let her hair out of its perfect curls to do it in that style. It sticks out *way* past her head like a rainbow! The eyes are different, too. Jessiebelle's are... well, colder somehow than this girl's. Plus, this girl's smile is *way* too natural. Jessiebelle's always look fake..." I trailed off when I noticed Dad staring at me in a strange way. "What?"  
  
"Jackie, I don't think I've ever loved you more than right now."  
  
"...Why?"  
  
My dad got up and hugged me. He was seriously freaking me out. "Jackie, you're the *only* other person I know besides me that could tell all those differences! No one else ever seemed to be able to... they always said they were identical..." He trailed off and stared at the picture, an odd sort of longing in his eyes.  
  
"So who is she?" I pressed.  
  
Dad sighed. "This... this is my friend Jessie."  
  
"Jessie?"  
  
"Yes... we, uh... we were friends a long time ago. Before you were born."  
  
"What happened to her?"  
  
"I... don't really know. We lost touch after..."  
  
"After...?"  
  
Dad shook his head. "Never mind. You don't need to hear this. You wouldn't understand."  
  
"Try me."  
  
His eyes had never looked so woeful until that moment. "Jackie... no, you wouldn't understand. Trust me. It's not your time."  
  
I got angry. "Not my time for what? Dad, if there's something you're not telling me, I have the right to know!"  
  
He looked at me. "Yes... yes, I suppose you do. Do you know what Team Rocket was?" I nodded; we had read about the infamous Pokémon thievery clan in school. "Well... I was part of them." I stood still. This didn't come as a surprise. I had always imagined that my father would have made the perfect Pokémon thief.   
  
"Is that it?"  
  
"... Yes."  
  
"Oh." I stared at the floor. Did he really think I believed him? I could tell there was more to this girl than that. "Do you think I'm that stupid, Dad?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you really think I'm that stupid! There's more to this Jessie, and you know it! So what is it? Who is she, really?"  
  
My father looked at me. "I can't tell you."  
  
"FINE! I don't really care anyway!" I lied. With that, I stormed out the door and down the hall to my room. I slammed the door behind me and flopped down on my bed. It was then that I realized I still had the picture of Jessie in my hand. I sat up and studied it. "Why couldn't *you* have been my mom...?" I asked it, "You look fun! You look exciting... and you look a far cry from proper. If Dad... if you and Dad were *anything* besides friends, why couldn't he have stayed with you?"  
  
Suddenly there was a knock on my door. "Who is it?" I asked crossly.  
  
"It's me," said the voice of my father.   
  
I sighed. "What do you want?"  
  
"To tell you the truth." I stared at the door.   
  
"Come in," He did so and sat down on my bed. I rolled over on my side and looked up at him. "Well?"  
  
"You were right. There... *is* more to Jessie than her just being my friend. She was... more than that."  
  
"I thought so. She was your girlfriend, wasn't she?"  
  
"For a while. She was... she was the most beautiful, the smartest, the most talented, the strongest, most exciting girl I'd ever met..." my dad had a glazed look in his eyes, remembering the past.  
  
"Sounds like you were very much in love with her," I commented.  
  
"You make it sound as if I'm not still," my father said miserably. I stared inquiringly at him and he continued, "I'm still in love with her. I never *stopped* loving her."  
  
"Then why did you guys break up? And why in the name of God did you marry *Jessiebelle* instead?"  
  
"Mine and Jessiebelle's marriage was arranged a long time before I ever met Jessie. It was my responsibility. What would *you* have done?"  
  
"I would have said screw them, I'm marrying the person I love."  
  
My father shook his head. "It's not that easy."  
  
I stared at the picture for a moment, then said, "Let's go find her."  
  
"What!?"  
  
I sat up. "Let's go find her! Surely you know her last name? We can run away and find her and you guys can be together again!"  
  
"What about Jessiebelle?"  
  
"What *about* Jessiebelle? She doesn't care about either one of us! Plus she'll never know we're gone."  
  
"And how do you figure that?"  
  
"Dad, I've snuck out at night before and been gone for eight hours at a time before you and Jessiebelle knew I was gone! In that time, we could be long gone from here!" My father just stared at the picture. "Come on, Dad, you know you want to too! You've run away before!"  
  
"That was a long time ago," my father said sharply, as if I had hit a nerve. "I was young, immature, stupid. I didn't know what I was getting into..."  
  
"You got into Team Rocket, right?" He nodded. "And that's where you met Jessie?" He shook his head.  
  
"No, I met her before that."  
  
"So you found the love of your life when you left! Dad, I want to give you a chance to find the woman you love again! You could finally be with her! You'd never have to face Jessiebelle again!" That seemed to strike his interest. He looked at me for a long while. I just stared right back at him. "Come on, Dad..." I said again.  
  
He nodded. "All right," he said, "But we'll have to do it tonight. I'll meet you in the Great Hall at 9:00."  
  
"OK. Oh, and be sure to dress in something... a little less proper." He grinned and nodded at me, tousling my hair.  
  
"Thank you, Jackie." he said. Then he got up and left.  
  
~*~  
  
At 9:00 that night, I slipped out of my bedroom in cargo pants and a tight black t-shirt, an outfit that, had she seen it, Jessiebelle would have shitted a brick at.  
  
My dad was waiting for me in jeans and a white shirt with something that I couldn't make out on the front. "How did you get out?" I asked. He held up a bottle. I read the label, "Jigglypuff Sleeping Pills- Just like the real thing!" I smiled. "Genious, Dad. Pure genious." He nodded and we slipped out.  
  
~*~  
  
"I'm not sure," my dad said over the roar of the subway, "but I think Jessie went to Celadon City after Team Rocket disbanded."  
  
"Then that'll be our first stop," I replied, just as loudly. "What's her last name? Do you remember?"  
  
"Of course I remember! Her name's Parker!"  
  
"Jessica Parker. We'll call Information when we get there and see if they'll give us a number and an address!"  
  
"OK, but... can we rest a little while first? And maybe get something to eat?"  
  
I sighed.  
  
~*~  
  
"Information, what city please?"  
  
"Celadon City."  
  
"One moment, please."  
  
I hate operators.  
  
"May I help you?"  
  
"Yes I'd like to get a number and address for a Jessica Parker?"  
  
"One moment, please."  
  
It's always more than *one* moment.  
  
"Jessica Parker in Celadon City. The number is: 795-3129. The address is: 456 Cherrywood Suite. Thank you."  
  
"Thank you!" I replied in a chipper voice. Then I hung up. "I got it, Dad. Here's where she is," I handed him the slip of paper that held Jessie's number and address. He studied it.  
  
"I know where this is. Let's go."  
  
"Hold on, we need a plan!" I said, grabbing his arm. "We can't just barge in and say "Hey Jess, remember me? Your old boyfriend? Oh, and this is my daughter." That's *not* the way you make an appearance after 17 years."   
  
"Oh. Do you have any ideas?"  
  
"Yeah. I'll pretend I'm a homeless person looking for work, and ask her if she has anything I can do around the house. Once she lets me in, I'll make small talk and see what I can find out about her. She may even mention you, ya never know! And if she doesn't, I'll mention that I saw a guy looking for her. *Then* she ought to remember you. I'll check her reaction then."  
  
"...How long have you been planning this out?" Dad asked.  
  
"Made it up just now," I replied, smiling.   
  
My dad grinned. "You would have made a good Rocket."  
  
"Thank you!"  
  
~*~  
  
I took a deep breath and knocked at the door of 456 Cherrywood Suite. And waited.   
  
She answered. She looked exactly like she did in the picture, but older. "Can I help you?" she asked, staring at me confusedly.  
  
"Yes, ma'am, I hope so. I'm looking for work, see... and I was wondering if there was anything around the house I could do for you for a little money. I'd do anything, cook, clean, do the laundry, just something for some money," So far so good.  
  
"Well, I don't know..."  
  
"Please, ma'am!" I said, trying to fein a desperate look, "Everyone else I've gone to has turned me down! I *really* need money or my little brother and sister will starve..." I trailed off and put my face in my hands. My *God*, I'm good, I thought.  
  
Jessie nodded sympathetically. "I understand. Come on in."  
  
I looked up, wiped invisible tears from my eyes, and followed her in. "Thank you so much, Miss..."  
  
"Just call me Jessie," she said. She turned to look at me and froze when our eyes met. She stared at me, looking disbelieving. "What... what did you say your name was?" she asked.  
  
"I didn't, but it's- Jana." I said. I hadn't come up with a name before then. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"No, no..." Jessie said, "It's just that... well, your eyes... they remind me so much of someone I knew..."  
  
My father. That *had* to be who she was talking about. Everyone always said that I had definetely gotten my father's emerald green eyes. "Ma'am?"  
  
Jessie stared at me for a moment longer, then turned away and motioned for me to follow her. "I'll show you," She lead me to the hallway, where a small table stood. There was a picture on it...  
  
A picture of my father.  
  
"Who's this, ma'am?"  
  
"This is my... friend from a long time ago... his name is James. When I saw your eyes... well, they just looked so much like his... he had beautiful eyes..." her eyes got the same look my father's had, when he had spoken of Jessie in the same way, as she picked up the picture.  
  
"You... you were in love with him, weren't you?"  
  
"Oh, very much."  
  
"What happened to him?" As if I didn't already know.  
  
"He... I don't really know. We were... um, business partners once..."  
  
"Team Rocket?"  
  
Jessie gave me a startled look. "How did you know?"   
  
I pointed to the Team Rocket uniform that had been pressed and was hanging on her wall like a poster. "Lucky guess." She smiled blushingly and nodded.  
  
"Yes, we were in Team Rocket together. After it was... brought down, we kind of lost touch... I think... I think he got married..." When she said this, she looked particularly melancholy.  
  
"But... if you two were so in love, why didn't you stay with him?" *This* was the part that I didn't understand, from both my father's and Jessie's stories.  
  
"He... *we* had a daughter... we couldn't support her, so... he took her with him and married a girl his parents had betrothed him to a long time before we met. I told him to take our daughter so she could be provided for. That's why I thought that you were related to him; his daughter would be just about your age."   
  
I stared dumbly at her. A daughter... *Jessie* was my real mother!? No *wonder* Dad was so skittish about telling me the whole story! Jessiebelle *wasn't* my mother! It always *had* felt so wrong to call her that... this was too much for me to handle. Everything I had ever been told was a lie. Oh... Dad is gonna catch Hell for this one, I thought to myself.  
  
"Jana? Are you all right?" Jessie was asking me. I wasn't even aware that she had been shaking me by my shoulders.  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry, Jessie... I'm fine. Um... I'm sorry to hear about your friend... what was it that I could do for you? Around here, I mean..."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I completely forgot... all this talk, I must be boring you to death!" She put the picture down and walked into the living room. "I just need you to do some laundry... and maybe tidy up the living room. Could you do that? I'll pay you five dollars an hour if you don't slack."  
  
"Yes, ma'am! I mean, Jessie. I won't slack," It was all I could do to keep from calling her "Mom." "Just show me where you keep the cleaning stuff and I'll get right on it!"  
  
~*~  
  
Three hours later and 15 dollars richer, I walked out Jessie's door. "Thank you so much!" I said, beaming at her.  
  
"No, thank you! And thank you for listening to me talk!"  
  
"Oh, believe me, that's perfectly all right," I said as I headed to the subway station, where I was supposed to meet my father, "Perrrrrrrrrrrrfectly all right..."  
  
~*~  
  
"I found her, Dad."  
  
"You did? What did you find out?" Dad asked me excitedly.  
  
"..."  
  
"Jackie?"  
  
"Why didn't you tell me that Jessie was my mother, Dad!? Why didn't you want me to find out!?!?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Jessie, Dad! I was talking to her and she told me that the reason you two didn't stay together after Team Rocket broke up was because you had a daughter that she couldn't support! She said you took your daughter and married a girl your parents had betrothed you to! That would be Jessiebelle, right? Right. So, either I'm the daughter she's talking about and you never told me that she was my mother, or you have *another* daughter that I don't know about. Either way, you lied to me, Dad!" I was fuming. And now my throat hurt.  
  
"Jackie... I couldn't tell you the truth," my father said, looking slightly worried.  
  
"Why the hell not!?"  
  
"Because you wouldn't have understood."  
  
"Understood!? Dad, I had to be told that someone I thought was my mother *isn't* my mother by someone who doesn't know she *is* my mother! And the only reason she told me was because she thought I was someone I wasn't! This is like, the biggest identity crisis known to man!"  
  
"...I know. I'm sorry... I just thought it was best for you if you didn't know that your mother left you when you were just born."  
  
"Dad... her mother left her when she was 3."  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
"Oh, we had a nice chat while I was cleaning up her house. She told me all about her childhood, a lot of stories from your Team Rocket days, quite a bit about you, actually. She's still just as in love with you as you are her."  
  
"...Really? I... I had thought she may forget me..."  
  
"Of course not! Dad, true love never forgets."  
  
"..."  
  
"You two need to get back together. But we have to be tactical about it. Tell ya what: I'll set her up on a date with a "guy that saw me talking to her" and we'll make you guys meet at a club or something! How about that?"  
  
"What, are you two big buddies now?"  
  
"No, we have more of a mother-daughter relationship."  
  
~*~  
  
"What guy?"  
  
"I dunno! He just saw me leaving your house the other day and asked me if I could set him up with you. But he's really cute."  
  
"...Cute for your age or cute for mine?"  
  
"Cute for any age! I *really* think you'd like him, Jessie. Just give him a chance."  
  
Jessie appeared to be a little hesitant, then nodded. "OK. Where am I supposed to meet him?"  
  
"At the Cubone Club, at 7:00, is what he said. You gonna be there?"  
  
"Yeah... help me pick out something to wear."  
  
I grinned and nodded. This was *way* too perfect.  
  
~*~  
  
"She's not coming she's not coming she's not coming she's not coming..." This had been my father's mantra for the past 15 minutes.  
  
"Stop it! She's coming, I know she is." I said.   
  
"Then why is she late?"  
  
"I don't know... but she's coming. I know that much." I looked toward the door. "See? There she is. Now, I'm jetting, if she sees me here, it'll ruin everything." With that, I moseyed off to another table, leaving my father gawking at Jessie.  
  
She saw him. He saw her. That was a good thing. OK... she walked over to the table. This is what I could hear from where I was...  
  
"James?" Jessie asked in disbelief.  
  
"...Hi, Jessie."  
  
"What... wh-where have you been? How did you know I was gonna be here? What's going on?"  
  
"Jess... that girl... that came to your house to clean?"  
  
"It was Jackie, wasn't it?"  
  
"Yes," my father replied, looking down.  
  
"I knew it! I knew only you or our daughter could have had those eyes... she's beautiful, James."  
  
"I know. Like her mother."  
  
"And her father."  
  
There was an awkward silence, then my father seemed to remember his manners. "Oh... won't you sit down?"  
  
"Thanks," she said, and did so. "Um... what brings you to Celadon?"  
  
"Jackie. She, uh... she found a picture of you, and she got curious... then when I told her who you were, she just *had* to find you."  
  
"Did you tell her I was her mother?"  
  
"No... you did that."  
  
"...Oh. What, uh... how's Jessiebelle?"  
  
"A bitch, as always." I had never heard my father call Jessiebelle that before, though I myself had called her that in my mind and to my friends many times. "Jackie... Jackie always refused to call her 'mother...' I think she knew something wasn't right all along, she just couldn't put her finger on what it was," My father said, "And now... now she knows."  
  
"Yes..." Jessie said, staring at the table. I couldn't believe the way they were acting. They were acting like... well, like two kids *my* age who were on a first date together. Maybe it was time for me to step in... but no. I was going to let my dad do this on his own.  
  
"What did Jackie think she could accomplish by bringing us here?"  
  
"I..." my dad said, "I think she wants a mother."  
  
"She has one. Jessiebelle."  
  
"Jessiebelle isn't capable of being a *mother*, Jess, you ought to know that. I think Jackie wants us to... get back together, so you could be her mother." I crossed my fingers. Thank you, Dad.  
  
"...Is that an option?"  
  
"I think it is. I mean, if you'd want to."  
  
"Would you want to?"  
  
"Of course! Jessie, I still love you! I'm still *in* love with you! And a false marriage to Jessiebelle can't change that!" Jessie stared wide-eyed at my father after his declaration.  
  
"You... you do?"  
  
"Yes. With all my heart." I had never heard my dad talk like *that* before... "Will you let me- and Jackie- stay with you?"  
  
Jessie stared at the table for a while longer, then nodded. "Yes... and James?" When he looked at her questioningly, she said, "I still love you, too." My father beamed and reached across the table. Then he did something I had *never* seen him do before.  
  
He kissed Jessie.  
  
I had never seen him kiss *anyone* before. He was obviously very good at it, too... Jessie was kissing him back. *Now* it was time for me to come in. And I vowed to do it gracefully and charmingly.  
  
"Geez, get a room."  
  
Jessie and my dad stopped kissing and looked up at me. I smiled at them. "I told you so, Dad," was all I had time to say before they both jumped up and were hugging me.  
  
"Jackie... thank you so much!" Dad said.  
  
"If it weren't for you..." Jessie began.  
  
"We would have never met up again," Dad finished.  
  
I smiled and felt tears running down my face as I hugged them back. My family... we were finally a *real* family, with *real* love... and a real future.  
  
**The End... Or Is It?**  
  
Oh no, dear readers. It can't end here! Jessiebelle has to figure out that her husband and supposed daughter are gone *sometime*! Get ready for "True Mother's Love 2: False Mother's Vengence."   
  
JessicaVance@lovelornpoet.com 


	2. False Mother's Vengence

False Mother's Vengence  
  
By: Jessica R Vance  
  
Summary: Jessiebelle has begun to search for her husband and "daughter." This one isn't quite as long as the first part.  
  
Disclaimer: Still own Jacqueline, that's still it.  
  
Rating: PG-13 for swearing and violence.  
  
Author's Note: Sorry this one took so long; I had some of it finished then my mom accidentally put my disk in the dryer with my coat. Lost all formatting and data on the disk and I had to start over. I lost all my other fics too, but I managed to get those off ff.net. Anyways, the fic's here now, so enjoy! Oh, and again, I didn't do Jessiebelle's accent. Also, TWERP ALERT!!! AAMR's, you'll like it. ::waddles off::  
  
WARNING: Someone *does* die in this! I'm not saying who, but if you are a fan of anyone in this story, *please* don't flame me when I kill them! (Hint: It's not James, I love him too much! ^_^)  
  
*Prologue*  
  
"Jackie... thank you so much!" Dad said.  
  
"If it weren't for you..." Jessie began.  
  
"We would have never met up again," Dad finished.  
  
I smiled and felt tears running down my face as I hugged them back. My family... we were finally a *real* family, with *real* love... and a real future.  
  
Or so I thought...  
  
*False Mother's Vengence*  
  
I yawned, stretched, and opened my eyes. The clock glared 7:30 at me in big green numbers. I frowned at it, hit the Snooze button, and rolled over...  
  
Off the couch.  
  
"Shit," I said, sitting up. I had forgotten that I was on Jessie's couch in her living room, instead of in my bed at the estate. I did that a lot.  
  
Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and looked around. Nobody seemed to be up yet, though Jessie usually went to work at her beauty salon at 8:00. 'Maybe her alarm clock broke,' I thought to myself.  
  
Then, "Good morning, Jackie!" Jessie had emerged. "What are you doing on the floor?"   
  
"Fell outta bed," I said dryly. I got up, dusted off my seat, and walked over to her. "How'd you sleep?"  
  
"Like a log," She said, going into the kitchen to make coffee. I followed. "I've been sleeping better than I have in a long time since you guys came," she commented. I had reunited my dad with his old flame, and, coincidentally, my mother, three weeks ago. Our one-month anniversary was coming up and I knew they were going to want to celebrate.  
  
"Did you sleep in?" I asked, glancing at the clock that read 7:35. "You're gonna need to hustle if you have to be at the salon by eight."  
  
"Today's my day off," Jessie answered nonchalantly. "Which reminds me, where would you like to go?"  
  
"Shouldn't we wait 'till Dad's up to decide?"  
  
"Oh, he'll just go wherever we go, trust me. He's a late sleeper."  
  
"I know. He never got to sleep in much when we lived with Je-"  
  
"With who?"  
  
"J...Jessiebelle." I said cautiously. No one had mentioned her since Dad and me first started living with Jessie.  
  
"What's wrong?" Jessie asked, looking concerned.  
  
"Oh, nothing. It's just... well, I didn't know if you really want to hear her name or not. I don't like saying it."  
  
To my surprise and ultimate confusion, Jessie threw back her head and laughed. "Go ahead! Say her name. She's not Bloody Mary, she won't hear you."  
  
I managed a nervous laugh as well. To be perfectly honest, that was *exactly* what I was afraid of. We hadn't heard anything from Jessiebelle yet, but there was always the possibility that she was just watching us... ready to pounce like a Persian on its prey.  
  
Seemingly reading my mind, Jessie said, "Don't worry, Jackie. If Jessiebelle knew where you and James were, I'm sure she would have come for you by now. She probably doesn't even have a clue as to where to start looking."  
  
At that moment, we heard a long, loud yawn come from the doorway to the kitchen. We turned to see my dad standing in the doorway in blue pants and a tank top, scratching his stomach sleepily. I curled my lip. "Men," I said disgustedly, "Want anything, Dad?"  
  
"Must... have... coffee..." he said, stumbling into the kitchen and managing to find a chair at the table. "Need... caffeine..." I rolled my eyes and poured him a cup of the brew Jessie had just made. Lots of sugar, a little cream, and a dash of cinnamon. Just the way Dad liked it.  
  
"Here ya go."  
  
"Thank you..." he said and began slurping at it. I found it amazing how my father's manners had totally gone down the crapper since we got here. It was like when he was with Jessie, everything Jessiebelle ever drilled into his head had just flown out the window. Not that I had room to talk; Jessiebelle *never* let me swear in her presence. Jessie and Dad didn't care, just so long as I kept it to a minimum.  
  
"So Dad, we were just discussing where to go today since it's Jessie's day off..." I began. His ears perked and he looked up from his coffee at me drowsily.   
  
"Where did you decide?"  
  
"Told you he wouldn't care," Jessie remarked, grinning at me.  
  
"Well, we didn't actually decide yet. Where were you thinking of going?" I asked, pouring my own cup of coffee (another luxury Jessiebelle had denied me).  
  
"How about that carnival they opened up downtown?" Dad suggested, taking another slurp. "I've heard it's a real doozy. Sound good?" Jessie and I exchanged glances and nodded. "Hey Jess, whatever happened to Meowth?" Dad asked suddenly.  
  
"That's a very good question. I was hoping you knew," Jessie answered. "I thought he went with you."  
  
"To live with *her*? Oh, that's a good one. Meowth didn't want money *that* badly."  
  
"Whoa, whoa, hold up hold up hold up hold up hold up," I said, holding out my hands. "Who's Meowth?"  
  
"He was our other partner in crime in Team Rocket," Jessie answered, "He was really a good guy, deep down. No matter how evil he claimed he was."  
  
"It was the same way with you, Jess," Dad pointed out, "You weren't mean and nasty deep down, no matter how hard you tried to make like you were."  
  
"Well, you were the only person that could see through that," Jessie answered, shrugging. "I guess that's why I ended up with you."  
  
"No," I said, "*I'm* why you *ended* up with him, thank you very much." Jessie laughed and smiled at me. "So tell me more about this Meowth," I continued, "What was he like?"  
  
"Oh, he absolutely *adored* you when you were very first born," James said, setting down his cup and smiling distantly. "He had us call him your Uncle Meowth... he always tried to make like he didn't care that we were having a kid when we first announced it to him... said things like 'You guys is gonna make lousy parents' and 'Dat kid ain't gonna be worth nothin'.' *Then*, you actually came along. It was almost impossible to tear him away from you."  
  
I contemplated this. "Tell me more about him."  
  
"Well," Jessie began, "When he was first born, his mother abandoned him..."  
  
~*~  
  
"Shit," Jessiebelle muttered to herself. She knew it was unladylike of her, but she was very frustrated. Her husband and daughter had run off... and she didn't have a clue as to where to start looking. She didn't even know that whore Jessie's name. She had a sneaking suspicion that she was where James and Jacqueline were, but she didn't know where to find her! She frowned and got out the White Pages for Cerulean City and began thumbing through the pages. It seemed it started with a P...  
  
Paaz... Pabst... Pace... Pachecho... Pacific... Packard... Packwood... Page... Palesano... Paramo... Parham... Pari... Park... Parker...  
  
PARKER!!! That was it!  
  
She began to scan through the names of the Parkers. Jason... Jem... Jimiah... no Jessie or Jessica. She frowned and got out the Viridian City phone book and began looking again...  
  
~*~  
  
"Wow... I sure wish we could find Meowth," I said as I put my jacket on. We were heading out to go to the carnival.  
  
"Yeah, me too. Who knows, we may run into him one of these days," Jessie agreed. They headed out the door and began the long walk to the carnival.  
  
~*~  
  
"Celadon City... finally... Get ready, James dearest... I'm coming back for you..."  
  
~*~  
  
"Jess! Jess, look!" Dad said, grabbing Jessie's hand and pointing. "Look who it is!"  
  
Jessie and I looked past Dad's finger and saw three people and a Pikachu. One guy had scruffy black hair and what looked like an old official Pokémon League hat. The girl, who was holding on to the man's arm, had orangish hair pulled into a side ponytail and blue-green eyes. The final man was dark-skinned and seemed to not have any eyes. He keep glancing at the other two and shaking his head affectionately. I also noticed a Pikachu riding on the first guy's head, which was a little odd. "Who are they?" I asked.  
  
"It's the twerps!" Jessie exclaimed. "I haven't seen them in ages!" When I looked at her, she said, "When we were in Team Rocket, we used to follow these guys around all the time, trying to steal that Pikachu!"  
  
"You obviously didn't do it," I commented.  
  
"Yeah, we uh... we weren't the best agents in the world," Dad said sheepishly, "But it was fun anyways. HEY GUYS!" he yelled, waving in the direction of the group. They looked at us and seemed to recognize him as they came over.  
  
"James?" The black-haired man said. "Is that you?"  
  
"And Jessie?" The woman continued. "What are you guys doing here?"  
  
"Enjoying the carnival like everybody else," Dad said, smiling amiably. "Guys, I'd like you to meet someone," He motioned to me, "Jackie, this is Ash, Misty, and Brock. Ash, Misty, Brock, this is Jackie, our daughter."  
  
I swear I have never seen anyone's jaws drop so far as theirs did. "Your *daughter*!?" Ash said in disbelief. "You mean you guys actually had a kid!?"  
  
"Oh, Ash, you knew they would someday. It had to happen," Misty said, smiling at Dad and Jessie.   
  
"Just like we knew you and Mr. Pokémon Master had to get together someday," Jessie said slyly, grinning at the blushing Ash and Misty.  
  
"And I'm still all alone..." a downtrodden Brock said sadly. I felt a little sorry for him. I sure couldn't see why women didn't go for him; he was actually pretty cute.  
  
"Oh, it'll be OK," Dad said, patting him on the back. "You'll find someone someday..."  
  
"I think you're right... the lady at the cotton candy booth *was* making eyes at me..." Brock said, rubbing his chin.  
  
Dad sighed and turned to the others. "Well, it was nice seeing you guys again. We really should get going so we don't miss all the good stuff. See ya around!"  
  
With that, we waved to the "twerps" and headed on our way.  
  
~*~  
  
"456 Cherrywood Suite... this is the place..."  
  
~*~  
  
While we were heading back from the carnival, I suddenly got an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. At first I thought it was just the fact that I had ridden the Tilt-A-Whirl 17 times in a row, then I began to recognize the feeling. It was the same feeling I got whenever I came home later than I was supposed to and I knew Jessiebelle was coming to punish me. I knew she was waiting for us... she was coming...   
  
I told Dad. "You're being ridiculous," he said, "Jessiebelle doesn't know where we are!"  
  
"Jackie, I told you this morning, don't worry about it. She's long gone, forget about her!" Jessie agreed.   
  
I still couldn't shake the feeling. "I trust my gut, Dad, Jessie," I said, "I know what I'm talking about. Jessiebelle is obsessed enough with Dad that she'll come looking for us. And the reason we haven't heard anything about her is because she's laying low... waiting for us to settle down and get comfy before she strikes. She'll follow us..."  
  
"To the ends of the earth and the bottom of the sea..." Dad said quietly.   
  
"What?" I asked.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
~*~  
  
We reached Jessie's house and the feeling hadn't dissapated any. So I told Dad, "Let me go in first." Surprisingly, he nodded. I cautiously opened the door...  
  
"Hello, Jacqueline."  
  
"Dammit!" I shrieked. "What the HELL are you doing here!?!?" I screamed at her.  
  
"Now now, that's no way to talk to your mother, Jacqueline..."  
  
"You're not my damn mother! Jessie is!" By now, Dad and Jessie had come in and seen Jessiebelle sitting on the couch, smiling at us like a hungry Persian.  
  
"Oh dear... I'm afraid you've found out the truth," Jessiebelle said in that syrupy sweet Southern voice of hers. "I'm afraid now that you know, you can't come back."  
  
"Well, that's perfectly fine with me!"  
  
"No, no... I'm afraid you don't understand... I'll be taking my James with me."  
  
"He's not your James!" Jessie said, sweeping in furiously. "He's never *been* your James and he never *will* be your James! So why don't you just leave us alone and let us live in peace!?"  
  
"I'm afraid I can't do that..." Jessiebelle said with faux sweetness, "You see, James is my husband... and you can't change that. I've just come to take back what's rightfully mine..." She got up and headed toward Dad, who was paralyzed with fear. I had to do something.  
  
I rushed at Jessiebelle in a blind fury. Before she knew what was happening, I was on top of her, beating my fists into the face that dared to mock my mother's. "You- can't- have- my- father!" I screamed with each punch. Somehow Jessiebelle got her wits about her and threw me off of herself. She pulled out her whip and brought it down on my face. Shrieking in pain, I fell to the ground, panting with fatigue and anger.  
  
"Now you listen to me, you insolent, arrogant bitch," Jessiebelle said, brandishing her whip at Jessie and Dad, who were heading toward her, ready to kill her, from the looks of them, "I looked after you from the ground up, and that bitch over there did absolutely nothing to help raise you. Now- you tell me, which one of us is your *mother*?"  
  
"Jessie," I said, holding my face, "It's better that I never know my birthmother than to have a false mother who didn't give a shit what happened to me." With this comment, the whip came raging down on my face again.  
  
"You fool! Of course I cared what happened to you! If you had gotten into trouble, it would have marred the Morgan name permanently! That's why I looked after you!" Jessiebelle's face was red and she was trembling with rage.  
  
"Then you cared about me for all the wrong reasons, *mother*," I said scornfully. "At least Jessie cares about me for who I am... her daughter, and not just some heir to the family name. My father went through this same shit when he was being "raised" by his parents, and I'm not going to TAKE IT!" I yelled the last part, leaping up again, surprising Jessiebelle by jumping onto her chest and letting my fist fly again. "You may have lived in the same house as me..." I panted as I attacked her, "You may have married my father..." She was too weak to fight back now, "But you will never... NEVER... be... my... MOTHER..." With that, I stopped my assault and got off of her.  
  
Jessiebelle looked up at me through eyes that were half swollen shut. She attempted to say something, but closed her eyes and went limp before it came out. I stood staring at her, and suddenly the weight of what I had just done hit me like a train.  
  
I had killed her.  
  
Jessie and Dad came running over to me, hugging me and crying. "Dear God..." Dad managed to choke out, "Are you all right?"  
  
"I..." I trailed off. I couldn't bring myself to say it.  
  
"It's all right," Jessie said, as if reading my mind. "It was self defense... she threatened us..."  
  
I realized that tears were running down my face. "I'm crying..." I said in a small voice, "Why... why am I crying? I didn't care about her..."  
  
"It's not who she was..." Dad said, "It's what you did. You're crying because you took someone's life." I nodded, still not quite understanding. I opened my mouth to say more when I felt the metallic sting of blood on my tongue. I put my hand to my face and realized that the two spots where Jessiebelle had hit me were bleeding. The blood mingled with my tears and fell onto Jessiebelle's still form.   
  
I stared at her, the work of my hands... my hands... they still had the blood from her face on them. I looked at them. Her blood, my blood... all on my hands. I fell to my knees and bowed my head. "I'm a murderer," I whispered.  
  
Dad kneeled next to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Jackie... you had to do this. She was threatening your life. One of you would have died either way... and it's best that it wasn't you." I looked at him tearfully, then threw my arms around his neck and hugged him, shaking with sobs. Jessie hugged us both, and we just stayed there, crying over Jessiebelle's dead body.  
  
~*~  
  
They buried Jessiebelle two days later. We told them that she had gotten caught in a ride at the carnival. For some unknown reason, they believed us, though her wounds didn't look like they were made by machinery. We all went to her funeral, though I didn't particularly want to. But... I had to come to terms with myself over what I had done. And when I left the cemetary... I had a sort of feeling of closure about the whole thing.  
  
Jessie and Dad got married. No one thought it strange that Dad's wife died and a week later he got remarried. I was Jessie's maid of honor. We're now living at the estate. Dad and Jessiebelle's old room has been sealed up. None of us can bear to go in there.   
  
So actually... everything turned out OK in the end. I got my real mother, Dad got his true love back, so did Jessie... I'm still working on calling her "Mom." It's weird to have both parents call me Jackie... I'm not used to this whole new thing. It's going to take a while, I think. But, I suppose that's quite a small price to pay for having a real family. And I'm willing to pay it.  
  
**The End**  
  
Welp, there you have it! The usual spiel on flaming goes here, don't do it unless you're gonna tell me why it was bad. *Constructive* criticism only! Thankies!  
  
JessicaVance@lovelornpoet.com 


	3. To See A Friend Go

To See A Friend Go  
  
By: Jessica R Vance  
  
Rating: PG, just because it's sad.  
  
Summary: OK, a lot of people wanted to know what happened to Meowth during the "Mother" series... this is for them. It's kind of sad, but I went for realism in this rather than happy endings.   
  
Thank Yous: Thanks to everyone at the board that helped me with this... the ideas for what Meowth did and for the idea that most Pokémon die in a lifespan of less than 18+ years. Thanks guys!  
  
Disclaimer: I own Jackie, nothing else.  
  
*To See A Friend Go*  
  
Jessie, James, and Jackie stood over the small grave in the Pokémon cemetery, Jessie wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, James with his arm around her consolingly and Jackie wishing that she could have known her Uncle Meowth.  
  
The family had learned, after weeks of searching, that Meowth had gone to Las Vegas after Team Rocket disbanded and had a successful stage career. He had spent his later years in the lap of luxury, and died a happy, old Pokémon. He wouldn't have wanted it any other way.  
  
His only regret, he told his caretakers, was that he never got a chance to see what kind of girl his best friends' daughter grew up to be. He jokingly told them that he really wanted to know if she was unlucky enough to look like her father.  
  
The Morgan family tracked down his agents, who also took care of him during his twilight years. Mrs. Price told them that she was very sorry for the loss of their friend. She told them he was a great performer, and a greater Pokémon. She told them where he was buried and gave them directions to the cemetery.  
  
When they reached it, they found the grave without any trouble, as if a strange force was guiding them to it. They stayed there for a long time, remembering Meowth and how much he had meant to them.  
  
~*~  
  
The strength to go on, the heart to be true,  
No one possessed these better than you.  
You stood by our side, you kept us in line,  
A better friend would have been hard to find.  
Our little buddy, and our favorite cat,  
We don't know how we can repay you for that.  
A loyalty unmatched, and somehow you knew  
That we would do anything just for you.  
You always were there, no matter what.  
The plans you came up with right on the spot.  
We never succeeded, but you kept on trying.  
You knew there was just no use in denying.  
You lived a good life, pretty good overall-  
You stood up when life threw you against the wall.  
You never said die, never gave up the fight;  
That's why we honor your memory tonight.  
There was a time, oh so long ago,  
That we went seperate ways, never wanting to know  
Where we'd end up stopping, where we'd reach the end.  
Not knowing we'd wouldn't ever meet again.  
We know that you're happy, wherever you are  
No matter how close it is, or how far.  
Our guardian angel, watching over our lives,  
Making sure that we know how to survive.  
As we both remember your friendship today,  
We remember how hard it is to see a friend go away.  
  
*The End*  
  
Don't flame me because he died! I was just trying to be realistic! And at least I gave him happiness before he went. JessicaVance@lovelornpoet.com 


End file.
